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Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Author Interview: Katja Vartiainen, Author of Half Done Fun

Katja Vartiainen is a Master of Fine Arts, painting. She
calls herself a multi-dilettante because she
has done doodle books, illustration, two graphic novels, teaching, and
even upholstery. Her visual inspiration comes from fine arts as well as from
everything on this curious, tragicomic piece of
a rock, and its creatures floating in space.

With her husband they share a taste for humour, cats, and
nature. They live in Southern Germany.

When did you first
realize that you wanted to be a writer/a storyteller?

Well, let's put aside the fact that I have been foremostly a
painter, and every picture is worth a thousand words. Or so they say...

My husband and I joked about our kitchen's messiness.
Clearly, the elves hadn't done their job- and then that led into a picture book
that my husband wrote and I illustrated. I realized then, that I had all these
extra plot twists and ideas, and so, I decided to continue the story and did my
first graphic novel. So, I started late, that was 2015, I was 40 round years
old.

What motivates you to
write and where does your inspiration come from?

Some ideas don't seem to leave me alone. So, I have put them
into creative work. I would like to wake people up to the ecological mess we
are in, but I don't want to get too preachy. Humour helps to get the medicine
down. I hope.

I believe everything influences everything. My inspiration
is thus everything I have come into touch with.

How
did you come up with the idea for your current story?

My last book, 'Half Done Fun', is actually a drawing book.
The third one. It came about when I realized that people want draw, and
rehearse drawing, but don't have the energy to start or to choose what to draw.
So, in 'Half Done Fun', as the title hints, the pictures are vertically half
done. You can relax and concentrate on the drawing.

What question do you
wish that someone would ask about your book(s), but nobody has? Write it out
here, and then answer it.

Isn't this too difficult for kids of 11, 12 etc years old?

No. Many people think that you cangive kids bad paper, cheap colors,
insufficient models and tacky exercises to teach them art and creativity, but
this is all wrong. Even though the 11 year old doesn't know how to finish the
picture perfectly, you give her/him the correct example. And decent materials!

Do you ever suffer
from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes. Writing is new to me. Painting has always been easy to
start, but since I've written two graphic novels with my second language, I
have had a feeling of inadequacy at times. Also, since I do both the text and
the illustration, I have hard time choosing which to start first.What to do? Just do. Write, write, write.
What a waste of time thinking about that you can't write, when you could be
writing.

What are your
current/future projects?

Current/future project is an old story, or myth, or
teaching, I want to rewrite and draw. Graphic novel meets maybe a picture book
kind of thing. But it will take time.

Why did you choose to
write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you
balance them?

It seemed that comics/graphic novels would be the perfect
medium for me,a painter, who wants to
tell a story. And even though I had clear panels in my books, the possibilities
to play with a page seem endless. As for the doodle books- well, I feel a bit
of a missionary. I also have studied art pedagogy for a year. To draw is so amazing
and fulfilling, I want people to try it and find new sides of themselves.
Especially in our age of swiping screens.

As to the field IN graphic novels/comics, I naturally went
into comedy, parody, because I like to laugh. I find the world a tragicomic.
Through comedy one can tackle a lot of serious stuff, but it is difficult. Real
humour requires intelligence but can't lack character either.

Are you traditional
or self-published, and what process did you go through to get your book
published?

I'm indie, I guess because I could not wait to get my stuff
out there. The internet and digitalization has brought wonderful possibilities
and I wanted to take advantage of them. We did try to publish our picture book
(for adults, but no sex) traditionally, and I realized how difficult it is for
books with colours and the whole concept. It seemed valuable time was waisted,
so we went through Createspace, Amazon, and I continued with that. I also
realized I enjoyed to have the control of it all. But I'm not a fanatic, I
could publish traditionally if contracts were good. It definitely seems to have
its benefits.

How do you think you
have evolved as a person/author because of your writing and do you believe your
writing has helped others, how/why?

I found perseverance in myself, in amounts, I could not
believe, in doing my books. I learned how to make comics digitally, from the
internet.I learned layout programs,
speech bubbles, etc etc. I made lots of mistakes. I learned a huge amount of technical
stuff, and then the whole 'getting the message out there' side. It has been
very interesting, time consuming, but rewarding. I hope my husband agrees, ha
ha. I've also found new authors and comic book creators whose work I enjoy.

I have gotten really good feedback from my doodle books. The
comics as well, but they are a weird genre. They have an ecological message
with a smile, and I hope people find them.

Do you believe there
is value in a review? Do you believe they are under rated, over rated, or don’t
matter at all?

If you have no reviews, it's as if your book seems to have
lethal, infectious disease, and everyone avoids it. Regarding Amazon, there's a
certain amount of reviewsthat makes
your book appear more frequently in the search.It would be great that people would take a risk with a book, but we so
often want the pros and the cons...Reviews do count. With comics it's also word
to mouth that puts your work out there.

What is the intended
audience for you book?

For 'Half Done Fun', 11 years upwards, also adults, who want
to practice drawing, or relax by doing somethinga bit creative. The graphic novels have some
cursing, so +12.

If you had the chance
to get one message out there to reach readers all over the world, what would
that message be?

Express yourself, AND save the planet!

What would you like
to write about that you have never written about before?

An actual fictional book, with text only, and no support
from images.

Do you have a
subject/genre you would never write about, why?

Never say never, but I think there's a few!
Zombies/horror/gore- they give me nightmares. Romance, maybe. But, I feel it's
a crime to make big statements of this kind.

What makes your book
stand out from the crowd?

This and the previous doodle books are pretty neutral in
style. It's on purpose, because the idea is not that you draw like me, but you
find out HOW YOU draw. My books are hopeful.

Do you read? Who are
your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

I read all the time. I have several books I am reading in
the mornings and evenings, and I love to read. There are so many good authors.
From the traditional, I find myself fascinated at the moment by Doris Lessing's
sci-fi, Ursula K. le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, Rosa Liksom. Joseph Campbell,
although non-fiction. I've enjoyed from comics: The Mountain, Papergirls, Saga-
and so many more. This is impossible! Jonathan Dunne is an indie favourite, and
then there's poetry, and all these preferences change during months.

Tell us three fun
facts about yourself/ your book.

I'll mix them. 1. I love cats 2. I do homages in my graphic
novels to my favouriteseries etc.3. Half Done Fun got started by the title. It
just popped I to my head, so a book had to follow.

Is there anything
else you’d like to share with your readers?

I post my art every Thursday on social media, and my web
page, for you to enjoy. And my news! And I'm in Goodreads, etc etc, meet you
there! Thanks for the Interview, this was fun!

Half Done Fun is an entertaining drawing/doodle book that
makes it easier for those who want to practice their drawing and observation
skills. It offers symmetrical (or closely symmetrical) things, humans, and
animals that are half drawn so you can focus on finishing the other half and
not worrying about 'what to draw'.